have washed the roads so badly that the van wouldn't make it to the top. So we parked and locked up at the bottom of the holler and walked. Recent reports of a mama bear and her cubs kept us alert as we followed the muddy but not washed road. Humidity in the air made it quite muggy until we reached the top where the winds blew from the High Nob. Unfortunately, the wind did little to relieve us from the aggravation and misery of the gnats. We had earlier tried a natural concoction of bug spray where I added to a spray bottle, two tablespoons of vanilla extract, a few sprigs of catnip (rolled in my hands to release the oils) and filled with warm water (and a later discovered caterpillar... oops, sorry Dad!). It worked wonderfully on repelling mosquitoes but not so much on the gnats. Or perhaps it should have been added more often.
We explored around the top of the holler, in a strange way, hoping to see this mama bear and her cubs, in another way, hoping it wouldn't be just around the next corner, even though we did come up on a ginormous (thanks Taylor) black snake that by my guesstimates, around seven feet long. It's tail was on the outside edge tire rut and it's head somewhere on the other side of the road ON the bank in the grass. It stretched that far! I couldn't get my camera to turn on fast enough (blasted SD card!!) as it slunk through the weeds. That'll get your blood pumping! 
This is the farms centerpiece. My Dad's old Dodge truck. This is what I meant when I say "Layers of beauty". Click the picture to enlarge. I just loved the photo, how the years show through.
Later, we stopped at the family cemetery and took a few pics, hoping I was able to shut the gates as well as before I went in.
A bit farther down the dirt road, we jumped several turkeys at the edge of the hayfield. Then we heard it. That sound that makes every fiber of your being freeze, your heart rate skyrockets, you stomach does flips
as your mouth goes suddenly dry. Your ears strangely become more sensitive to sounds as you notice that the birds in an area have eerily stopped chirping as the sound of crunching twigs and the swashing of branches as something emerges from the deep depths of brush. Kayla and I both stood together, neither of us about to move, we began to rehearse what to do if we encounter a bear. Just then Lady mare trudges from the brush! She must have been spooked from her cool spot when the turkeys came through, she saw us, gave a welcoming nicker and walked up to us ready for a good head scratching.
as your mouth goes suddenly dry. Your ears strangely become more sensitive to sounds as you notice that the birds in an area have eerily stopped chirping as the sound of crunching twigs and the swashing of branches as something emerges from the deep depths of brush. Kayla and I both stood together, neither of us about to move, we began to rehearse what to do if we encounter a bear. Just then Lady mare trudges from the brush! She must have been spooked from her cool spot when the turkeys came through, she saw us, gave a welcoming nicker and walked up to us ready for a good head scratching.So, while walking back down the holler, I spotted a nice plot of peppermint growing in the creek. Kayla by this time had two or three gnats plucked from her eyes and they were attempting to fill my ears. I looked at Kayla, she must have known where I was going as she gave a "light bulb coming on look", as we both made a run for the peppermint. Taking it in our hands, we rolled it to get the oils out and rubbed it all over our heads. By golly! It worked!!! The gnats were still wanting to swarm us but were not about to get near us with the scent of peppermint. Worked like a charm!
